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<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe first book I looked at in more detail was Pan\u2019s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun<\/a> by Cornelia Funke. I wasn\u2019t very impressed by it and found the content quite disappointing. When you hold it in your hands, it\u2019s clear that a lot of effort went into the design\u2014and also into padding it out. The half title, dedication, title page, and legal notes already eat up four pages, but that\u2019s normal. Then it starts getting suspicious: there are two pages of table of contents for 41 chapters. For a 318-page book, that\u2019s already a red flag. Each chapter\u2019s first page is only three-quarters full, which adds up to about 10.25 pages of wasted space. Every chapter also begins on the right-hand (odd-numbered) page, resulting in 30 blank pages. Additionally, the final pages of many chapters aren\u2019t filled completely: 13 pages are only a quarter full, 20 are half full, and 10 are three-quarters full\u2014another 22.25 pages lost. Then there are 10 full-page chapter openers with bold titles\u2014another 10 pages gone. Eleven pages show illustrations that, while beautiful, don\u2019t contribute any text. From the original 318 pages, only about 228.5 remain. Based on several samples, I estimate about 1,500 characters per page, giving roughly 190 standard pages. At \u20ac20, that\u2019s 11 cents per page\u2014a pricey little volume, even though it looks far more substantial than it is.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The next book I examined was The Selection<\/a> by Kiera Cass, without counting each page precisely. The book has the same dimensions as Pan\u2019s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun<\/em> but isn\u2019t quite as wasteful with its chapters. I\u2019d estimate that around 10% of the space is lost to chapter transitions, but overall, it doesn\u2019t feel artificially inflated. The 366 pages contain about 1,400 characters per page on average, or 285 standard pages\u2014resulting in a price of 6 cents per page. At \u20ac17, that\u2019s still reasonable, and since the book targets younger readers, the shorter length makes sense. A massive tome might put them off. Compared to The Smile of Women<\/em> (the English edition of Das L\u00e4cheln der Frauen<\/em>), which as a smaller paperback has only about 25 fewer standard pages, the content difference isn\u2019t huge\u2014the packaging just creates a different impression.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Another currently popular and truly outstanding series is The Mirror Visitor<\/em> by Christelle Dabos. The third volume, The Memory of Babel<\/em>, was recently released. It\u2019s a thick book, and at \u20ac18 for such a beautifully designed hardcover, it\u2019s actually quite good value. The ratio is fair\u2014about 1,600 characters per page across 457 pages, making roughly 4 cents per standard page. In this case, there\u2019s no exaggeration, and the price-performance ratio is solid. I\u2019ve also really enjoyed these books content-wise.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Another book I examined more closely is The Seven Sisters<\/em> by Lucinda Riley\u2014a commercial hit that sells extremely well and probably generates good margins. Readers pay \u20ac22 for 541 pages of text. With around 2,000 characters per page\u2014about 11% above the standard\u2014it comes to about 4 cents per standard page. That\u2019s a fair deal; no complaints here.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I wondered whether things have changed over time, so I took a closer look at two fantasy novels from Klett-Cotta and compared the 2014 reissue of The Dragonbone Chair<\/a> with The War of the Flowers<\/em> from 2004 (both by Tad Williams). The two books are identical in size and both have above-average density with around 2,200 characters per page. The Dragonbone Chair<\/em>, being longer, works out slightly cheaper at 2 cents per page compared to The War of the Flowers<\/em> at 3 cents\u2014but both offer plenty of reading for the price. For comparison, my edition of War and Peace<\/a> comes to about 3 cents per standard page (it costs \u20ac58 but has 2,288 pages). The size comparison also shows that the Klett-Cotta books don\u2019t really need to be that thick\u2014but the audience probably expects a solid brick of a fantasy novel. Then again, the comparison isn\u2019t entirely fair, since Hanser books use thin paper.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Based on these few samples, it\u2019s hard to claim that publishers are systematically trying to deceive readers. And honestly, a thick book isn\u2019t necessarily a selling point\u2014if anything, it might even be intimidating. Books like Pan\u2019s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun<\/em> are more of an exception, and in my opinion, entirely legitimate. They look beautiful and make quite an impression compared to a thin little volume. Too bad\u2014I would\u2019ve liked to uncover a scandal, but I\u2019m at least a little proud of the sensational title of this post, in true clickbait fashion.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/schummelnde_verlage_2.jpg\")
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